It All Starts With Fall
by ChibiTabatha
Summary: Marinette has a chance to win a fashion contest, will it finally bring her closer to Adrien? Or will an alley cat mess up her groove.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! First Miraculous fanfiction here. Originally it was going to be a harvest ball and Marinette would design her own gown but... I like the direction I chose better.

I don't own Miraculous Ladybug but I wish I did!

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For once Marinette was worried, even with Alya, Nino and even Adrien's support, she still felt like a nervous wreck. Rustling could be heard and her eyes scanned the room, Tikki popped up from a pile of papers and fabric scraps. The little kwami smiled at Marinette, understanding in those deep blue, ageless eyes. "You'll be fine," her tiny voice soothed. The little being flew up and snuggled her cheek warmly, "It's for the fall isn't it? Why not look at pictures from other countries fall trees for inspiration?"

"Why did I agree to do this?" her hands cradled her head, fingers pushing midnight locks from her face.

"For the chance to wear your design next to Adrien Agreste, who would also be wearing your design? If I recall, Mr. Gabriel Agreste liked your derby hat! You have a decent shot at this!" her little kwami immediately started shifting through papers on her floor, holding up design after design.

Marinette groaned, first she had to submit the designs before she could even be chosen as a qualifier for Mr. Agreste to even look at her handiwork. She took her kwami's advice and rolled over to computer. Opening up an image search engine, she softly typed 'Fall trees' and hit enter. Slack jawed she scrolled through the pages in wonder. Of course she had seen the trees change colours and lose their leaves, but never had she seen so much variety of colour.

Some trees were bright crimson, others a dark almost burgundy red. The oranges were also varied, from ripe orange to a deep yellow orange. Her favorites were the trees that still had some green, or leaves that were more than one colour. Without realizing her hand quickly began sketching as she marveled at the contrast of red against blue.

Sabine stuck her head out the trap door to her daughter's room. "Honey, it's time to go to bed, you don't want to be late again do you?" her concerned voice brought Marinette out of her trance.

"Y-yes, thank you maman," she blinked looking at the two images on the paper before her. They were perfect, just needed colour. "I just want to colour these designs so I can submit it tomorrow," she turned in her chair to smile at her mom. Returning the smile her mother nodded softly and proudly before heading back down the stairs, shutting the door behind her. Marinette quickly began to colour and shade her designs smiling all the while.

Who knew that eyes would hurt this much? It was like the sun had a vendetta against her, searing her eyes into little slits. The sound of a vehicle pulling up made her jump off the stairs as she watched the angel among men close the door to his ride. She sighed, Adrien was the only human who could exude such perfection as he smiled and waved at fellow classmates. As Adrien drew closer he greeted her, "Good morning Marinette!"

Immediately her brain seized, "Good you! I mean you're good, I mean, the morning is good!" Following her verbal vomiting she groaned. She held out the manila envelope to the god amongst men.

He smiled at her, gently taking the envelope and opening it, inside he could see designs, fabric squares stapled to the sheets and little sticky notes with her meticulous handwriting on it. He closed the envelope and turned it over in hand, slowly furrow in his eyebrows before chuckling slightly, "Do you always forget to sign your work?"

Her heart dropped into her stomach, this wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last. "Mail! She was going to mail it Adrien, her contact information would be on the envelope, it wouldn't be good of her to cut in front would it?" Alya swooped in to save the day. She nodded as her best friend took the envelope and looked inside. A whistle formed, "Girl this is amazing! If you keep designing stuff like this, you might even be able to take Gabriel Agreste off his fashion throne."

Adrien nodded, "When that day comes I would be happy to model for you." The blonde waved before going into the school.

Alya nudged her ribs, "Hear that girl? He also thinks it'll happen."

Marinette was speechless her crush offered to model for her. Her face was pink as she hugged her designs to her chest.

Alya was talking about the Ladyblog as they exited the school, Marinette smiled at her friends enthusiasm.

A hand on her shoulder stopped her mid stride, "Hey Marinette, you busy right now? I told my father about your design you were going to enter, and that you already won the Derby hat competition. He wants to meet you and see your design." Marinette froze under that warm hand, his voice rumbling through her.

Turning and shaking her head no she didn't dare speak, "So you're free?" This time he was answered with a nod, "Perfect, my chauffeur will be here to pick us up soon." She nodded staring into his bright green eyes.

Alya nudged her, "See you later girl. Don't forget to tell your folks, I'm sure they'll be happy to hear." Her best friend waved and ran off, she was a busy blogger with two little sisters.

Marinette pulled out her phone and quickly dialed the bakery, her father's warm voice answered on the fourth ring. "Papa, I," she searched for her words, "I am going to meet Gabriel Agreste with my designs right now. If I can't make it for dinner I'll call you." Her dad made inaudible sounds that were far too loud, she held the phone from her eat wincing, "I love you Papa, bye bye." By the time her phone was back in her purse, Adrien was holding the limo door open for her.

"After you madame," he bowed slightly with a chuckle. She giggled and slid into the back seat of the vehicle. He followed and shut the door. The ride was silent. The driver was a big guy who seemed to never talk and she couldn't talk to Adrien. Speaking of the handsome boy he was smiling and typing away on his phone.

To say the Agreste manor was huge was an understatement, intimidating on the outside it felt much larger and colder on the inside. Nervously she started fixing her appearance, brushing her bangs from her eyes, adjusting her blazer, before she could tug on the hem of her shirt a warm hand stopped hers, "I'll be right there with you. It'll be fine."

She nodded following the boy to the double doors on the left of the staircase. Knocking he cleared his throat, "Come in," was the response heard faintly through the door.

While Adrien was Gabriel's son, they were different and similar. Cold blue eyes behind designer glasses, thin lips that never smiled, but they had similar body structure, both lean and and maybe even mildly athletic. Cold eyes stared right into her soul, then glanced at the envelope in her hands. Swallowing her nervousness and calling on her inner Ladybug she produced her hand to shake the designers, "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Agreste."

"Have a seat," the tone of the designer's voice demanded authority, and was cold as ice. The two teens sat down in the chairs across from the designer and he held his hand out.

Marinette handed him the envelope and watched as her idol, the man who inspired her to become a fashion designer looked over her two designs. The man's brow furrowed as he looked over the designs. "Are you sure these are the fabrics you want to use?" the designer was touching the fabrics and looking over her notes.

She cleared her throat slightly, "I'm open to changing them, I only picked fabrics I had on hand for the colour scheme. I only finished this last night."

The designer nodded his approval, "Good, I want you to start working on these immediately, you passed the first round. Congratulations Ms. Dupain-Cheng."

Holding back her squeal of delight she thanked the designer for this chance. "Of course. I trust my son knows where you live? I will be sending him over for measurements. Even if you don't win, I would happily include your design in my fall collection." Her jaw dropped slightly, she had to be dreaming. Again she thanked the designer and she left the room following Adrien.

"Congrats Marinette! I told you you would do just fine!" the blonde model placed his hand on her shoulder smiling.

Instead of melting at his touch she froze. Adrien was coming to her house for measurements. Adrien would undoubtedly see the shrine her wall had turned into. "Thanks Adrien! But your dad was right, I have to make sure I choose the right fabrics. The colour scheme is perfect, I'll have to hit up the fabri-" she cut herself off with a groan.

"What's wrong?" green eyes shifted over his friends features to make sure she was alright.

"I can't afford to go to the fabric store. My parents cut my allowance since my grades dropped slightly," she ran her hand through her bangs. Trying to mental math what little she had saved, maybe she could dye some of the fabrics?

"I can help you with that. Since I'm going to be keeping the outfit right? I'm sure buying you some fabric wouldn't be considered cheating," the teen shrugged his shoulders.

Marinette tapped her bottom lip in thought. It was sort of like a commission. So the client paying for the fabric wouldn't be too unrealistic. "Sure, that sounds fine. But how will I know when you're free or when you're coming over for your measurements?" she would want all the warning she could get.

Adrien held his phone out to his classmate, "Trade numbers?" She gingerly took his phone, the same one she had stolen to get rid of that embarrassing voice mail. She gave him her phone and the two teens added their contact information. Smiling they traded phones back, "Guess I should take you back to your place huh?" She nodded slightly, a small blush on her face.

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Thanks for reading guys! I'm already starting the second chapter and I promise it will be great. Cause who doesn't love Tom and Sabine? Please RR&R


	2. Chapter 2

I promise these will get longer. I just gotta work myself into it. That and I already have 3 followers so I'm pretty excited. Ever since I changed my mind from dress to this (not giving my designs away yet) everything's been a little cloudy. Also the part with the measurements is a pain to do if you aren't comfortable with people being in your space. Adrien is lucky he doesn't have boobs.

Anyway I don't own Miraculous Ladybug, but I sure wish I did

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Her parents were too much. Tom and Sabine insisted that Adrien stay for dinner, they wouldn't take a no from him or his assistant. Adrien agreed to stay for dinner and said it would be a perfect time to get his measurements done. Marinette's heart hammered uncomfortably in her chest. She didn't want to leave the model with her family but she couldn't bring him into her room either. "My room is a mess from last nights last minute design nightmare. I'll quickly tidy up. Don't mind my parents," she ran up the stairs two at a time and burst into her room. Tikki helped hide all the photos she had put up of Adrien, and helped to tidy the scraps of paper and fabric tossed around.

Once she deemed her room safe she called the blonde up to her room. He looked around the pink room, it was spotless other than the desk where what he assumed were sewing supplies were strewn about. "Your room isn't messy. It's fine," he mumbled.

The young designer shook her head and directed him to stand on her chaise. While he got up on her furniture she grabbed a pencil, measuring tape and her sketch book. Flipping to an empty page she looked up at the blond who was still looking around warily. "Sorry, I'm going to get in your space now," her face was probably the same shade of pink as her pants. The blond just nodded as she wrapped her measuring tape around his hips. She pulled it tight, and then let it loose slightly, she jotted down the measurements, next she did from his hip to his ankle, both sides to make sure they were similar, jotting down the numbers again. Next was the inseam, she gulped, "Sorry, I need you to widen your stance a bit." The tips of her ears turned red as her hand slowly went between his legs, she pressed the corner of the tape where the inseam stopped and to his ankle. She checked the other side as well and jotted down the numbers. As precaution she also measured his thighs and ankles to make sure everything tapered nicely. She motioned for him to get off the chaise. He hopped down and boy was his face red. Next she took his waist measurement, followed by his chest measurements; the widest part and just under his armpits. The under side of his arms from his armpits to his wrists. Also jotting down where his elbows were. From his shoulder to his wrists and finally around his neck. Once she double checked the numbers she made him turn and measured from his neck to his hips and from his collarbones to his hips. Again she double checked the numbers with a smile, "This should be good until I need you back for a fitting. To make sure everything fits."

The boy nodded shyly, "I've never had my measurements actually taken before..." She looked at his pink stained cheeks and mentally groaned.

"But what about all those photo shoots? Aren't the clothes custom made for you?" the boy shook his head no. Her jaw hung slack for a moment, taking in the fact that she just had a very personal moment with her crush.

"How do you get your measurements taken? I know you wear a lot of your own designs," the blonde rubbed the back of his neck.

"Mom or Alya usually help."

As if on cue Sabine came through the trap door, "Dinner is ready you two." The two flushed teens nodded and followed the Chinese woman down the stairs. Sitting at the small island table in the kitchen was a tight squeeze. Tom and Sabine could not stop fussing over Adrien. Marinette on the other hand spaced out.

"Wait what?" Marinette blinked trying to hear what her mother said.

"I said Adrien was welcome over anytime. Especially for dinner. He says he loves my cooking!" Sabine put her hands together with a large grin.

"Yeah, thanks. I'm not sure how often I can take you up on that offer, but if I could I would do it every day," the blonde teen smiled his brightest, most polite smile.

"The easiest way to remedy that is to marry our little girl. Right Marinette?" Tom clapped her on the back causing the young girl to choke and sputter.

"Dad!" Marinette hissed at her father.

Adrien only laughed. Marinette was glad he didn't respond, she wasn't sure her heart could handle him saying yes or no to that statement. Once dinner was all said and done and Adrien had left for the night Marinette flopped on her bed. Exhausted as she was, when her phone started buzzing she looked at the screen.

Adrian A.: I had fun tonight! Hopefully I can have dinner with you guys again when we go fabric shopping.

Her heart melted. She thought she died and went to heaven. Tikki flicked her forehead and pointed at the phone, "Answer him!" the little kwami was grinning.

Marinette: Well like you heard, you're welcome anytime. I would love if you came over for dinner again.

Dread filled her as she stared at the text she just sent. Before she could think about trying to fix it, she had a reply.

Adrien A.: Perfect. Well good night Marinette. See you tomorrow.

Marinette: Night, see you

She sighed happily into her pillow, until she heard a tapping at her window. She looked up and saw nothing, confused she opened the window above her bed and crawled onto the roof balcony. She looked around confused. Was it an Akuma attack? She almost screamed when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Hawkmoth knew who she was, it was the end for her.

"What's my puurincess doing up so late?" her heart immediately stopped hammering away in her chest. It was just that dumb alley cat.

"Well I was excited about some texts I was receiving. I also happen to have passed the first round of a contest," she crossed her arms and turned to the feline hero. As she stared him down her weight shifted to one side and her hip jutted out slightly.

"I'm glad to hear you're feline fine about that purincess," this time he didn't roll the pur as hard.

"Your puns are atrocious. What brings you here Cat Noir?" if it was an Akuma she wanted him to scram so she could transform.

"I was watching your dinner with your friend there and I had to say, I was a little jealous. I wish meals at my place we're so warm and full of love," Cat Noir's voice sounded bitter and Marinette was taken aback. He never sounded like that with Ladybug. She watched the hero pout like he was six and had his favourite toy taken from him. "Even if I could go to dinner at friend's house I wouldn't want to over step my bounds, it's not fair."

"Cat Noir?" her voice was soft.

He turned to look at her, eyes sad and hurting. "Sorry princess, guess I just needed to vent. Good luck with your competition. I've never seen your designs but I bet they're good," he turned to leave.

"Cat, wait," Marinette grabbed the belt that acted like a tail. Sad green eyes stared at her and it felt like ice was melting from her heart. "Talk to me. I may not know anything about crime fighting but I know a little about people," she sat on one of the patio chairs on the roof motioning to the other.

He shook his head, "Maybe another time. I'm not even sure why I came here to be honest. Thanks for your time princess."

"Marinette. Please call me by my name. I know it might be hard for you to remember but I prefer it more than princess," she smiled at her partner with all the warmth she could muster.

"Then good night Princess Marinette," he gave her a playful wink before jumping off into the moonlight.

She sighed, what could be eating her partner like this. She shook her head and retired to her room, she would definitely have to sleep on this.

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Like I said, sorry about the length, I'll try them a little more healthy in size but that comes with all the troubles of being a writer. Anyways please R&R!


	3. Chapter 3

Hello again folks! I almost got too distracted watching Anime to write this. And even though I work tomorrow I stayed up to finish writing this. I feel like I should make a schedule like posting chapters weekly. Give myself more time. But that won't happen. Anyways I hope you enjoy this and thank you to all my followers! I love you all!

I don't own the character to Miraculous Ladybug, but I sure wish I did

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A week passed, even with the few texts sent back and forth between the teens no progress had been made on her designs. Well that was a lie, she was able to start on the accessories, but it seemed odd doing them first instead of last. She also hadn't heard from Cat Noir, Hawkmoth hadn't Akumatized anyone either, so it wasn't like the guy was skipping on his hero duties. Running her hand through her bangs she sighed, as fun as making her own jewelry and accessories was she just wasn't in the spirit.

Tikki brushed some bangs out of Marinette's eyes, "What's wrong Marinette?"

"I don't know Tikki. I guess the thing with Cat, the fact that I haven't even started sewing yet. I know I have two months but a week has already gone by, I want the outfits to be perfect..." her head hit the desk with a thunk and she groaned.

The little kwami giggled, "Oh Marinette, they will be fine! With how much love and thought you put into them, they'll be perfect. Believe in yourself more!"

Marinette could only groan in response. Her phone made a 'bzzt bzzt' sound as it skittered across her desk. Looking at the screen she smiled.

Adrien A.: Hope you don't have plans tomorrow after school. My schedule is finally cleared so we can go get that fabric.

Marinette couldn't contain herself, she jumped up from her chair and bounced around her room in excitement. Tikki only shook her head at the young girl, "Don't forget to answer him." Marinette stared at the mystical being before quickly typing on her phone.

Marinette: I don't have any plans! I'm excited to get the fabric so I can get started! I can't wait for tomorrow!

Groaning she looked at her message and thought she sounded like a complete loser, but again before she could respond his name popped up on her screen.

Adrien A.: Me too. See you tomorrow then!

Her heart fluttered in her chest. If only Hawkmoth could take a day off, just tomorrow, Marinette wouldn't ask for anything ever again. Plopping back down onto her chair she got to work on the accessories for her designs.

Her neck hurt, her back hurt, scratch that, everything hurt. She sat up and blinked at her computer monitor, 'Oh, 6:34 am...' she thought to herself. Shock hit her system like a ton of bricks, she stood up so quickly her chair skated across the room, "I can't believe I fell asleep at my desk!"

A tiny yawn responded to her outburst, "I told you to go to bed, but you said you just wanted to finish the piece you were working on." The small red kwami rubbed sleep from her deep blue eyes. "Before I knew it you were out cold. I moved anything that could have hurt you in your sleep though, just to be safe." Tikki smiled at the young teen.

Marinette looked to her desk, and like Tikki said, all her tools and materials were set aside, nice and orderly. Eyes scanning the walls she noticed all the pictures of Adrien were down as well. "Did you take down the pictures too?" she looked back to Tikki.

The kwami nodded, "You're going out with Adrien, even if it's only a tiny chance he'll be here, I figured you would want to be prepared."

"Oh thank you Tikki! You're the best!" she clutched the small being to her cheek in a hug.

Marinette heard her mother call her for breakfast through the trap door. By that point she had showered and changed into clean clothes. All her school things were together, and she even brushed her teeth. As she sat with her mom eating breakfast and watching the news it dawned on her that she was going shopping with Adrien. Shopping with Adrien! Her day couldn't be a bad day with that to look forward to! Saying bye to both her parents she took her time walking to school. She had woken up early, it was a beautiful day outside. Everything was miraculous.

Looking up the steps to the school courtyard, she saw Adrien sitting on the stairs. He seemed to be mumbling to himself, frowning slightly. As she approached him he seemed to stiffen before relaxing and waving at her, "Good morning Marinette!"

"Hey. I mean, hi! I mean," she groaned, "how are you?" She blinked, that last part was a real sentence! She was making progress!

"Oh I'm alright, I didn't manage to finish the math homework. Photo shoots y'know?" soft green eyes looked into hers and she swallowed thickly.

"I could help you during lunch."

"Really? That'd be awesome! Thanks Marinette!" the model instantly brightened, causing soft green eyes to twinkle.

Then she realized what she had said, oh boy, did she ever dig herself a hole. "Yeah, no problem." She watched him go into the school before she slumped slightly.

A hand on her shoulder drew her attention to her auburn-haired friend, "Girl that's the first sentence I think you managed to say to him and I don't think you realize you said it."

Marinette groaned again, "I know! But I can't just tell him I can't do it now!"

"Girl, you can do this. I'll handle Nino so you two can have some alone time," Alya wiggled her eyebrows up and down. She knew she shouldn't have told her about the measuring of the model, now her best friend seemed even more determined to try to get her alone with Adrien.

Marinette sighed and followed Alya into the school. The day crawled by slowly and when the bell for lunch rang her heart filled with dread. She was not ready for this. "Hey Nino, I have something to show you. Come with me 'kay?" Alya took Nino by the wrist and dragged the boy off, winking at Marinette on their way out.

After all the students had left it was just her and Adrien. He turned to smile at her, "Should we work here or go to the library?"

Marinette tapped her bottom lip a few times, "Here should be fine. I have some baked goods we can eat while we work." Marinette took a deep breath before picking up her bag walking to the other side of the desk and down the stairs. Sitting where Nino usually sat seemed strange, and when green eyes met blue her heart stopped.

"Baked goods?" he seemed more eager for the food than the school work and for that she couldn't blame him. He probably had a crazy strict diet. She nodded and opened her bag, pulling out a mixed bag of whatever pastries and breads her father put together and her math homework. When he reached for the bag of food their hands touched slightly and it felt like electricity ran through her. Face flushed she watched the model put a croissant in his mouth before pulling out his math homework.

They sat in silence, both eating whatever they grabbed from the bag of baked goods and slowly going over their math work. Adrien was a smart kid, he didn't need Marinette's help. So why did she offer? Suddenly his leg was pressed against hers and he leaned to look at her notes, "I'm having problems with this one here." His long finger skimmed across the offending question. Marinette looked from the question to his work and slowly pointed out the proper equation using the words from question, "Sometimes word questions in Math stump me. Thanks Marinette." His smile could end wars, it was the most wonderful thing on the planet.

"Oh Adrikins!" the voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard and she groaned. "Ugh, what are you doing beside MY Adrikins?"

"She's helping me with my math work Chloé," Adrien was polite even to the she-devil of the school.

"Why would you want to do that when you could spend time with me," the blonde girl hopped up to sit on the desk and as she did the bag of baked goods fell down onto the floor.

"Hey, watch it," Marinette reached to pick up the bag.

"Maybe it shouldn't be in my way than," the blonde girl smiled smugly down at Marinette before turning her gaze to Adrien.

"Seriously Chloé? Knock it off. Marinette didn't do anything to you," Adrien looked away from Chloé and smiled sheepishly at Marinette.

"Ugh. I was going to invite you over to meet with Jagged Stone, but if you would rather spend time with this peasant, I'll have to invite someone else," with a little hmph, the mayor's daughter left the classroom.

"I'm sorry about her Marinette. I hope this doesn't mean you'll cancel your plans with me after school," he trailed off and green eyes tinged with something she couldn't identify looked at her. Could it have been loneliness?

"I would never dream of canceling," Marinette smiled. Slowly the two went back to work and when the bell rang for students to come back into the classroom Marinette moved back to her seat. Once Alya was back in her seat she nudged her with a huge smile on her face. "It went well," Marinette whispered to Alya. They smiled at the same time and high-fived quietly.

The rest of the day was also uneventful, other than the Chloé nightmare. She felt like she was on cloud nine. Staring at the clock she was counting down the seconds till the final bell. She was almost getting antsy. When the bell rang and everyone was putting their things together she watched Alya approach Nino, they smiled at each other before walking out together, heads bent toward each other voices quieter than normal. Marinette smiled, she couldn't be happier for the pair, whether they were official or not.

"When did that happen? I thought Nino liked someone else else?" Adrien looked after the pair as well, slinging his messenger bag onto his shoulder.

"He thought he liked me. But after Ladybug locked them up at the Zoo they hit it off. I'm not sure if they're actually dating or not, but I'm happy for them," she sighed happily. Then it hit her, she was starting to be able to talk to him! It was a miraculous day after all!

Adrien smiled and shrugged, "Me too. I would never have guessed they would get along so well." Adrien watched as she finished getting her things together and they started walking out of the school together. "I would say I'm a little envious of them but I'm more envious of you. With your parents and that bakery! Man, I wish I lived above a bakery my family ran," he smiled and laughed. The light caught in his hair and made it shimmer.

She shook her head slightly, "I'm sure plenty of people would be envious of you. You're a model and your dad is super famous!"

"They wouldn't be if they knew what he was like," Adrien mumbled sadly.

Marinette didn't want to pry so she pretended like she didn't quite catch it, "What was that?"

"I was saying let's get that fabric!" he turned his smile towards her again.

"Alright!"

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Well folks that's all for today. Hope you enjoyed and don't forget to R&R!


	4. Chapter 4

Wow I can't believe how many followers I have already! And thank you to my one reviewer Hatsune Miyu, you asked for more so here is more! Sorry about the delay. Work sucked me down into the depths of its abyss.

Miraculous Ladybug doesn't belong to me, but I wish it did.

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Silence isn't loud, but it certainly felt loud in the limo. Neither teen talked as the vehicle accelerated, slowed and stopped. Something heavy was in the air and Marinette wasn't quite sure she liked it. She watched the model's reflection in the window, he was sighing a lot and seemed out of it. Green eyes were glazed and unfocused on anything going on around him. She chewed on her lip slightly, she wanted to say something, but she wasn't sure what to say.

When the gorilla pulled up in front of the fabric shop Adrien held the door open for Marinette. She thanked the boy as she exited the vehicle, he only smiled at her in response. The two teens entered the fabric store and the young designer immediately brightened. All the colours, the different textures took her breath away.

Adrien followed the young designer as she looked at different bolts of fabric, confusion apparent on his face. She turned to him with a smile, "Never seen this before huh?"

He shook his head no, "There's so much here, I wouldn't even know what I was doing."

She laughed quietly, "Different types of fabric are used for different things like furniture upholstery or interior decorating. Not all of it is used for clothing."

The boy nodded slightly, reaching out and touching the fabric she was looking at. "What are you going to use this for?" his eyes and voice seemed far off, like this was a dream world that didn't exist until then.

"Well if I choose this fabric I'll probably be using it for your shirt, it's breathable so even if it's a little warm you won't be sweltering in it. But I'm not sure if this is what I want to go for," the male teen nodded as he followed Marinette as she picked bolts up and started layer fabrics over one another. By the time she had picked up three bolts of fabric Adrien took them from her with a soft smile, "Thanks," she mumbled.

The teens were quiet while wandering the store. Once she had chosen the fabrics, she smiled, "Time to get them cut." A scream cut through the quiet air in the store. Adrien dropped the bolts of fabric and wrapped an arm around Marinette's shoulder pulling her down and away from where the scream was heard. They hid behind a large table where the sale fabrics were held.

"Stay here, I'll try to find help," he looked up where the Akumatized victim was. Marinette held onto his shirt sleeves and shook her head no. She pleaded with him to not go with her eyes, but he only smiled softly down at her, "I promise to be careful. Stay here Marinette."

She watched the blonde duck and run behind stands until he was out of sight. "What are you waiting for Marinette?" Tikki's voice worried.

"You're right Tikki, the quicker I transform the faster I can save Adrien!" Marinette nodded at Tikki, determination in her eyes. "Tikki, spots on!" in a flash of pink she felt herself become more agile and brave. Leaping over displays and shelves filled with fabric she came up on the Akumatized victim. "What's got your seams in stitches?" Ladybug stood with her hands by her side, yo-yo at the ready.

"Milady," Cat Noir landed beside her with a small smirk playing on his lips. She nodded in response to his entrance.

"I am the SEAMSTRESS! All shall become the finest of fabrics for me to use," she waved her hand and a needle appeared in front of her. Ladybug quickly took in the victim's appearance, fabric patchwork made up her dress and hair, varying shades of blue and purple, white as fresh snow skin and skinny as a twig. As much as she searched she wasn't sure what she should be looking for. A purple outline of a moth floated just above her face, "Of course Hawkmoth." With needle in hand the villain laughed and pointed it at unsuspecting bystanders trying to hide, they disappeared in a poof of bright blue light and in their place were dolls that looked just like the villain.

"Quick Cat Noir, distract her while I try to find where the Akuma is," the male superhero nodded before pouncing off and at the Seamstress. She didn't pay attention to his cat puns but she did watch as he used his baton to bat away her powers. It wasn't the needle. He managed to kick her hand and dislodge the weapon from her hand. She scanned the victim's body as she leapt back from Cat Noir, there was one patch of fabric that was pitch black by her waist. "Cat Noir! The black patch of fabric!" her voice rang out loud and clear. Her partner nodded and she tossed her yo-yo into the air, "Lucky Charm!"

A sling shot dropped into her hands, "A slingshot Milady? I thought you had grown out of such toys," Cat Noir smirked, doing a backflip and landing by her side. Ignoring him, her eyes darted around the room, a rack of beads had spilled on the floor by the cash register, that was the ammo, she looked back at the villain, then to Cat Noir.

"You have to get the black cloth, I'll distract her with this," Ladybug smiled with confidence gleaming in her eyes.

"Got it," the male superhero bounded off towards the villain, and she dove towards the beads scattered by the front register. Scooping up a handful of the different sized glass and plastic beads she armed the slingshot. Aiming was difficult with Cat jumping all over and the villain trying to dodge his swings with his baton. Firing one bead she managed to peg the villain right in the forehead, Ladybug took aim again and this time hit her in the arm, bouncing the shot off the ceiling. Cat Noir took the moment to call on his specialized power, "Cataclysm!" Ladybug was still trying to keep the villain distracted with beads, launching them faster and to different parts of her body. Head, arm, leg, wrist, head again. Cat noir launched himself as the villain shook herself out of the shock of being assaulted by beads, and he touched the black fabric just on her waist. It melted away and the black Akuma fluttered out, the victim soon returned to normal and Cat Noir caught her.

Ladybug took her yo-yo and ran her finger across the surface, causing it to split and open up to reveal the part of the device that cleanses the Akuma. "No more evil doing for you little bug," catching the small black butterfly, she pulled the yo-yo back to herself and smiled as she let the now pure white butterfly go, "Bye bye little butterfly." She waved slightly as it disappeared out of the building. Taking the slingshot back in hand, she tossed it into the air, "Miraculous Ladybug!" Soon pink swirled around the store returning the building and its patrons back to normal.

Cat Noir walked up to Ladybug and held his fist out, "Pound it," they said in unison as their fists connected lightly.

Her earrings beeped and his ring made a similar sound as one of the green pads on his ring blinked out, "I would love to stay and chat, but we should get going before we turn into pumpkins." She smiled at her partner before running out of the store and launching herself behind the building. Landing on the pavement behind the store her transformation melted away. Quickly looking to see if anyone saw, she let out a relieved sigh before looking into her purse to see a sleeping Tikki, "Thanks Tikki, I'll make sure to treat you when we get home." Suddenly her blood ran cold, Adrien! She ran back into the store and saw him standing by one of the tables with all the fabric she had picked out. His phone was in his hand, her phone buzzed and she looked at the screen, it was Adrien. "I'm alright, sorry, I saw an opening and got out of the building are you alright?" she ran up to the boy and leaned on the table to catch her breath.

He laughed nervously, "I am now, unfortunately I was turned into a people sized ragdoll. It wasn't pleasant." His smile shone down on her like the sun shines down on the beach on a wonderful summer day.

"I'm glad that you're okay," Marinette smiled up at him before she was interrupted by the store worker. She apologized for taking up their time. She went through the bolts one at a time and requested the required amount of each one. Once all the fabric was cut, marked for the register, and paid for she and Adrien stepped out of the store, him carrying the bag, "Thank you again so much for this Adrien."

"It's not a problem Marinette. Like I said, I'm kind of excited about this. It'll be the first thing I own that my father hasn't made," he held the door open to the limo for her. She slid in and he followed after her. "I also think you have a good chance to win this competition. I know you'll make it into the fashion world."

She blushed and pulled on one of her pigtails slightly, "Thanks Adrien, I feel a little more confident if you think I have a chance."

"Of course I think you have a chance! Remember when Chloé tried to steal your design but you embroidered your name upside down as part of the design? That was super cool," he kept looking over at her as he talked. She was glad that he was out of whatever slump he seemed to be in before, but what dragged him out of it.

"That's true I guess. I still can't believe I won that time," she tapped her bottom lip a couple times. As her eyes turned to the bag between them she smiled with excitement, she would most certainly start marking the fabric for cutting tonight. She shouldn't stay up super late on a school night after all, so even if it wasn't cut and only half of it marked she would be content.

"Excited to get started?" Adrien had leaned closer while she had been spacing and she jumped slightly at his voice. She swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat before nodding. "I'm glad, it makes me feel excited for you," he leaned back to his side of the vehicle and looked out his window.

"Th-th-thanks," she just barely managed to mumble out. After that the rest of the ride was silent, but not a bad silence.

Tom and Sabine greeted the two teens with the enthusiasm of forty people. Adrien got a plate full of baked good, wrapped in cellophane and everything. Sabine insisted he take them home, maybe even share them with Nathalie, the gorilla and even his father if he had time, or if any was left. Adrien of course said he would more than be happy enough to eat it all himself, but he wouldn't be selfish. After all, if he kept Paris' best bakery under wraps he would feel sad not being able to tell anyone about the place. Sabine giggled behind her hand and Tom rubbed the back of his neck, they took his kind words to heart. Marinette was happy her family liked Adrien, after all she did want to marry him. That was still a far off fantasy at the moment. Her heart lodged in her throat, Sabine was holding out a plate of red velvet cookies towards Adrien. Well, they weren't exactly 'red', more like the sad burgundy colour of failure. The only reason she knew what that sad plate of cookies were was because she had made them the day before. Watching in horror as he slowly took a bit out of the cookie she waited to hear the worst. Instead he praised the cookie for its taste. Both her parents turned their gaze to their daughter with sly smiles on their faces. Tom mentioned that Marinette made the cookies, and that even though the taste is on point, they couldn't sell them since they weren't red enough.

Adrien turned to her cookie in hand, "You made these?" She nodded slightly, her blush was beginning to creep up to the tips of her ears. "They're amazing Marinette!"

"Thanks," she crossed her arms and looked at the floor nervously.

Her parents wrapped their arms around her in a quick hug. "Now why don't you two run along upstairs while we finish preparing dinner," Sabine gently pushed her own daughter towards the young male. Adrien smiled and nodded before grabbing the bag full of fabric and heading up the stairs, completely forgetting his plate of baked goods to go.

Marinette slowly followed him up the stairs, and once she was through the trap door she saw the male walking around her pink room, looking around. He stopped in front of her dress form, before slowly reaching out to touch it, "This wasn't here last time," his voice had a faraway quality to it.

"I usually keep it tucked in my closet for storage, it honestly makes putting together the clothing a lot easier. Especially since it's my size," Marinette smiled to herself. "Alya helped me make it. We used an old shirt I was never going to use again. It was unquestionably a trust exercise, that's for sure."

Wide green eyes turned to look at her, "What do you mean?"

She laughed slightly, "Well it involved a lot of duct tape, and a pair of scissors. Here I'll show you the pictures." Moving towards her chaise she pulled out her phone and opened up the gallery of pictures. Scrolling through the images she felt Adrien sit next to her. She pulled up the images she was looking for, the first being a very shy Marinette in a long green shirt. Then was an image of her torso completely covered in duct tape and Alya laughing, followed by an image of Marinette's bare back slowly being exposed by a pair of scissors cutting through the duct tape. Marinette's ears instantly felt like fire, she forgot she wasn't wearing another shirt on underneath the one they used to make the dress form. She had been paranoid of wrecking any other shirt. She quickly glanced up to see a faint blush on Adrien's cheeks. "After we managed to get me out of it, we sealed it up and stuffed it with newspaper. After that we filled it with expanding foam and to finish it off I got some stretchy cloth and slipped it over top so I can pin fabric to it easier," she closed her phone suddenly aware of how close the model was to her.

"It's really cool that you guys made that together, I thought you had to buy something like that and that they were normally made with wood," the one ear she could see was tipped pink.

"You can buy them like that and have them specially made, but this is a lot easier on my wallet," she laughed again.

Adrien turned to face her, he stared into her eyes and he looked like he wanted to say something, but before any words could escape his mouth Sabine called for them. Dinner was ready. He stood and held his hand out for Marinette to take to help her up. She took his hand and after she was up he let go of her hand and headed downstairs. She cursed her parents' bad timing, she may have been lost in his eyes, but maybe he was going to tell her what was wrong.

During dinner Adrien asked what it was like running a bakery, her parents happily chatted with him about their mornings, how they alternated who was down in the bakery first thing in the morning and who would make breakfast. How sometimes even after the initial bake they would sometimes be making things throughout the day. Adrien was enraptured by their descriptions, he was listening so intently he didn't even notice Marinette staring at him the whole time.

Once he was about to leave Marinette realized he didn't have his plate of baked goods. "Adrien, don't forget these," Marinette held the plate out to the young model.

"Thanks Marinette, I would have been sad if I couldn't take this home with me. Any way I could get some more of your delicious cookies?" as she went to hand him the plate their fingers brushed slightly.

Her heart began to race, "No, I don't think so. But maybe I'll bring some to school tomorrow. We'll see." She smiled at him, sure her face was pink.

The boy pouted slightly before giving her a wink and a smile, "Alright Marinette, sounds good to me. If not maybe I'll have to call and place an order for a batch of cookies from the baker's daughter." He laughed and her heart melted slightly, even his laugh was perfect. "See you tomorrow," the model turned and started to head towards the limo.

"See you tomorrow," she called after him. Once the vehicle had pulled away she leaned against the door of the bakery and sighed dreamily. He liked her baking, he seemed to like her parents, if only she could find a way to get him to look at her.

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Well that's it for now folks! I am probably going to touch up the first couple of chapters in the next couple days between this chapter and the next. the spelling and the length bothers me. I feel they should be longer. But if you think they're fine the way they are let me know! I'll just fix up the spelling in that case. Bye for now!


	5. Chapter 5

Oh hey look, and Adrien POV chapter, there's going to be at least one more before I switch back to Marinette. And I also only worked on this for less than 2 hours today. Pretty decent work if I do say so myself. Any ways enjoy! Thank you for all the love!

I don't own Miraculous Ladybug, but I sure wish I did.

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"Look kid, if you're going to let it eat at you like this, someone is bound to notice the sudden change," the small black kwami stared at his charge with distaste on his face. Throwing a piece of camembert cheese into his mouth he didn't even chew it, he swallowed it whole. A pleased sigh escaped his tiny mouth.

Adrien rolled over on his bed, ignoring the black kwami. He needed someone to talk to, but that was harder than it seemed. Sure he could text Nino but the guy would either laugh or tell him that it was completely normal for guys their age. Adrien wasn't sure which one he wanted to hear less. He turned his head to look at the phone laying on the corner of his bed, maybe he could text her, but texting her would be weird since she was part of the problem.

"Kid, it's normal at your age to think about these things. Sure you love Ladybug, but you know nothing about her. But this other girl, you see her every day at school, you're bound to be attracted to someone you see more often," Plagg floated over and sat on his phone.

"It doesn't feel okay though. Maybe I'll go talk to her again. As Cat Noir," the teen looked at his ring finger than to Plagg. The small ageless being just shrugged and shook his head, "Alright. Plagg, claws out!" Not even batting an eyelash he jumped out his bedroom window, Nathalie would think he's asleep. Since he told her he was tired from the day's events, she wouldn't come in if he didn't answer. Jumping roof top to roof top felt like true freedom, not the 'freedom' that his father had finally granted him. Coming up on the bakery, he slowed before landing on the roof softly, the lights in her room were still on, he couldn't back out now. Moving quietly along the roof he looked through the window into Marinette's pink room, it looked down a small flight of steps, and he could also see her bed off to the side. Her computer was on, but she wasn't at it, the chair nowhere to be seen. Her bed was equally empty. Jumping over the side of the little roof patio, he landed by the window where her desk was. Looking into that window was probably a bad idea, all he could see was what felt like miles of bare skin. She was shirtless with her back to him, his mouth dried, her foot switched position indicating she was going to turn and he quickly jumped back up to the roof. His heart was racing a mile a minute, in fact he thought it might jump out his mouth and run away any moment. He sat on one of the patio chairs and held his head in his hands, trying to calm his racing pulse. A sound made his cat ears twitch slightly, a latch being unhooked. Slowly small footsteps moved towards him, how'd she open the window without him hearing it? Easy enough, he could barely hear himself over the blood rushing in his ears.

A small hand touched his shin and he flinched, it felt warm through his suit, it wasn't even cold out. "Cat Noir? Is everything okay?" her voice was soft and concerned.

He shifted his gaze up to her worried blue eyes and he scanned her face, lingering on her lips a little too long. He cleared his throat before looking away again, "I-I'm not sure about that Princess."

He heard her walk around him and felt her sit down so her back was leaning against his, "You want to talk about it this time?"

"It's different than last time. Last time I just felt lonely, no one was home, thought I would stretch my legs, saw something that made me feel even more alone. This time it's something way different," he sighed and ran his hand through his unruly blonde hair.

"Something so different that you came back to a place that makes you feel lonely? Are you a masochist?"

He flinched slightly, that wasn't exactly why he came back, "Sorta. It didn't work. It's a little late for your family to be having dinner." He felt her nod behind him, but she stayed silent. She was giving him space to breathe and talk, not prying. He steeled himself mentally, "I'm not sure if you know this, but I love Ladybug. Even though I'm not sure who she is under that mask, I love her. Crazy I know. But I'm attracted to her unwavering ability to do the right thing, her strength, her courage. I know she won't tell me who she is under the mask because she's scared that I'll think that two versions of her are so different that I won't like her, that she'll let me down by knowing who she is."

Marinette shifted slightly behind him, "I mean, you probably know her better than I do, but what if it's also to keep you both safe? What if you or her got Akumatized? Wouldn't that bad guy, what's his name? Eagle Bug? Wouldn't he know who you both are at that moment?"

Cat Noir laughed slightly, "Hawkmoth. You're also probably right. But I can see the lack of her self-confidence leak through just as we're about to transform back. But Ladybug isn't why I'm all mopey." Marinette sat up straighter, slightly leaning away from him. This time he leaned against her back, "There's this girl, and I can't stop thinking about her. It's like I'm addicted to her laugh, I find myself sometimes finding ways to stare at her without her noticing, trying to imagine what it would be like to k-" he cut himself off.

Marinette nodded, "So you're saying you might have a crush on another girl? One who isn't Ladybug?" He nodded sadly, "Cat Noir, I don't think you have much to worry about. I'm sure this is happening because Ladybug hasn't told you anything about herself. I'm sure she might be a little sad if you stop liking her, but if liking this other person could keep you safe, I'm sure she would be much happier if you pursued that."

Cat Noir bit his lip before shaking his head no, "I don't know princess. The girl sometimes turns into a complete babbling mess when I talk to her sometimes. I must have done something to upset her, I'm just not sure what. Sticking to Ladybug seems right to me."

Marinette laughed then, his pulse began racing again, and he hoped she wouldn't feel his heart rate pick up. "She probably likes you, I know I do that around the guy I like," he could hear the smile in her voice.

He thought back to all the times he as Adrien turned Marinette into a babbling mess. It didn't seem like she liked him. They were just beginning to talk normally, after the gum incedent with Chloé he wasn't sure Marinette would ever be his friend. "I'm not sure, I know something happened between us before, I apologized for it, but I don't really know if that fixed things between us," he sighed again.

Marinette stood up and gently took his clawed hand, "Come on, I'll make you a cup of tea, maybe it'll help soothe your nerves." He nodded dumbly following the girl into her room, that's when he noticed something that hadn't been there when he had visited before. Pictures dotted the wall, as the got to the landing of the small set of stairs his eyes widened, pictures of Adrien Agreste. Marinette let go of his hand and she moved to the trap door, he watched the soft sway of her hips before she disappeared through the door. Quickly his head snapped back to the wall and he stepped closer to the images of him on the wall. Why would they be there? Why weren't they on her walls before? Did she put them up as inspiration for her designs that she was making?

Soft steps alerted him of her return, how long had he been staring at those pictures for. "Oh yeah, those. I told you about that guy I liked right? That's him. Isn't he perfect?" her dreamy sigh floated on the air.

His heart stopped. Marinette liked him? What? "This guy?" he pointed at a picture of Adrien leaning against a tree. Marinette blushed and rubbed the back of her neck, nodding slightly. "What about him?" he stared at her with his mouth slightly open.

She used a finger to close his open mouth, "I won't tell you that. You may be a hero, but I don't really know who you are." She pushed a hot mug into his hands, a flowery scent hit his nose. "Lavender and chamomile, it should help you out," she smiled before taking a sip of her own tea. She sat at her desk chair and flipped through her two designs and looked to what looked like a mess of fabric on the floor. His eyes scanned the pile while he sipped his own tea, even though the fragrance was strong, the taste was mild with a hint of sweetness to it. Turning back to the images on the wall he wondered if maybe she was kidding with him, there was no way Marinette liked Adrien, right? He watched as she wheeled on her chair from one end of the desk to the other, like she even forgot she had a superhero in her room.

He went to the end of the desk that had her tools and sewing machine and he looked at what was laid out. Small amber beads, wire, cord, some form of tool he couldn't identify, scissors. He thought back to her designs and tried to think of what it was she was working on, but he couldn't remember. "Hey alley cat, you're in my way," her breath puffed along his neck and shoulder, it made him shiver. When did she get so close? He turned to look at her slightly and she stood with her hands on her hips.

He put his mug down on the desk and turned towards her. Instead of moving out of the way, he stepped towards her. His throat felt tight and his blood was rushing in his ears, without thinking he reached out and touched her cheek. One of her eyebrows rose, and he recoiled like he had touched hot metal. "Sorry princess, I'll have to be calling it an evening. Good bye for now," he stepped back and bowed before making a quick exit up the stairs, onto the roof and out into the night.

Even with cool wind kissing his cheeks, it didn't stop the burning sensation on his face. Even after he had made it in through his window and flopped onto his bed, he still felt embarrassed, "Plagg, claws in." He felt more than saw the small black kwami flop onto his pillow beside him.

"Well, did it help?" the small kwami wasn't mocking him, wasn't being sarcastic. He seemed mildly concerned. Adrien could only groan. "I guess not. When you find out the girl who you think about almost every night worships you in secret could only make things worse," Plagg yawned.

"I can't believe I reached out to touch her. That's even weird for Cat Noir!" he made a distressed noise that he tried to muffle with his pillow.

"Hey it happens kid, all you can do now is sleep and think on it. Just because you know she likes you, doesn't mean things have to change," Plagg's voice was slowly becoming drowsier by the word.

"You're right Plagg. Stressing over it won't help me at all," he rubbed the small kwami's head. He let out a small mumble Adrien couldn't understand, "Good night Plagg." Adrien rolled over and pulled his sheets up to his shoulder. Yet just before he drifted off his mind again wandered to the baker's daughter and he wondered if her lips were as sweet as her cookies.

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Well that's it for next time, poor Adrien has a lot on his plate and is probably going to get a little grouchy. But that's what being a teenager is all about right? I hope the length is alright. Bye for now guys! Leave me reviews! I want to know what you guys think!


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry about the wait guys. I updated two of my other older fics the other day, and I only finished this one yesterday while I was at work. I sent it off to someone else for editing. Saved me some time. I hope you guys are enjoying this! It's gonna be a bumpy ride! :D

As always, I don't own Miraculous Ladybug or the characters.

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Soft pink lips pressed against his and he melted against them. Small hands rested on his chest and his hands were on her smaller shoulders. Deep blue eyes stared into his, her small pink lips forming a small smile before the girl in front of him changed from the baker's daughter to the super heroine. Opening and closing his mouth he stepped back from the woman, her arms crossing her chest, her face an unimpressed wall. "Adrien, I thought you loved me? So what is she to you?" her voice seemed cold and distant.

"I'm not sure Ladybug. I mean, she's just a classmate!" exasperated he ran a hand through his blond locks.

"You know I don't believe that for a second right?" that's when he saw Marinette to Ladybug's right, her eyes swam with tears and she turned away from him. Ladybug followed suit and they both walked off, leaving him alone and his heart aching.

Adrien woke with a start. Running his hands though his bed tousled locks he groaned. He felt miserable, is this what two-timing felt like? He wasn't sure how anyone could stand being this miserable. Nathalie called to him through the door, breakfast was ready and they were expecting him soon. Hauling his depressed self out of bed he trudged through his morning rituals, getting dressed, combing his hair, brushing his teeth, it felt like time was even slower than normal. For that he was thankful, he was not looking forward to seeing Marinette at school after that weird dream he had.

Breakfast tasted bland, even though he had a personal chef, the meals weren't the same. They lacked the warmth and love that the Dupain-Cheng's seemed to ooze, it came out in their food and their body language.

Today the gorilla wasn't in the limo, he was in the car. That meant his father was out doing who know what, lecturing some poor sap who chose the slightly wrong shade of blue. That sounded about right. Why would he want to spend any time with his only son before he had to go to school? That would make sense. His face turned into a scowl as he slid into the back seat of the car.

The ride was silent, the school was silent, he sat in his seat with his head on his desk. Slowly the background noise rose in volume as the class slowly began to fill up. Two female voices caught his attention, Alya and Marinette, he flinched slightly as they walked past him. Luckily they didn't pay him any mind, instead they were chatting about the Ladyblog, how Alya was upset she missed out on all the action. He felt Nino slide in beside him, "Dude, everything alright?"

Adrien leaned up onto one arm and smiled at his best bud, "I didn't sleep well last night. You know how it can be sometimes, right?"

Nino chuckled softly, "Yeah I do. Glad everything else is alright. I was worried something happened between you and Mari."

Adrien felt like his eyes were as wide as saucers, "What?"

"Well yeah, Alya said Mari won't talk about yesterday. We were both worried that you guys had a falling out. You know?" Nino adjusted the red cap on his head.

"We bought fabric? There was an Akuma attack, we got separated for a little bit but everything was fine. Her parents even let me stay for dinner," he shifted his head and hand so his chin was resting on his fist. "I don't think anything strange happened."

"That's good," his friend smiled at him and his eyes drew towards Mme. Bustier who just entered the room as the last bell rang.

Classes crawled by, he did his best to pay attention to the teachers, but his heart just wasn't in it. He was still feeling pretty torn up about that dream. The class just before lunch happened to be a 'free study' period. One of the teachers was sick and they couldn't find a replacement, it happened sometimes. Adrien wanted to use the chance to get started on his homework since he had a photo shoot after school again.

"Marinette, can I ask your opinion about this?" the soft male voice was almost swallowed up by Kim's much louder voice being obnoxious.

He perked up, Nathaniel almost never approached Marinette, especially after the Evillustrator incident. "Sure Nathan, what's up?" her voice was equally soft, to not startle the timid boy. At least that's what he hoped it was, if not it sounded like they were in their own private little world. A very ugly feeling surfaced for a moment, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

"Well I'm working on some character designs for a comic I'm working on. I wo-would really appreciate your opinion," the red-headed boy stuttered slightly. Did that mean Nathanial still liked her? Adrien vehemently began chewing his lip.

"Let's see," he heard the shuffling behind him and he really wanted to see what was going on behind him. Were they huddled over the boy's sketch book, heads bent together, small smiles and stolen glances? He heard a pencil gliding over paper quickly, "These kinds of shirts taper at the waist, and this style of skirt has more flow to it like this." Although her voice was still soft, it felt more like a lecture on clothing than a secret discussion. All the tension was released from his body with a sigh. Wait, why did he tense up when Nathanial approached Marinette?

He leaned his head against one of his hands. Being a teenager was now more confusing than it was before. He really needed to sort out how he felt about both Ladybug and Marinette, and soon. Sitting on the fence like this was starting to kill him. Without realizing he had turned towards the red-head and Marinette, his best smile plastered all over his face, "Hey Marinette, I was wondering if you wanted to come to my photo shoot today? Y'know, to get ideas for your designs."

His mouth jumped into his throat and lodged there painfully. Both teens in front of him looked like deer caught in headlights. This time he noticed the faint blush creep along Marinette's cheeks, "You, yeah… I mean, want me, I mean," he heard the sound she made in the back of her throat, it only made him smile a little more, "of course." The look on Nathanial's face told him he won the battle but not the war, but he didn't have to pay attention to the red-head. No, he wanted to learn more about Marinette as Adrien. Not snoop and slink around her room in the night as Cat Noir.

"Perfect, meet me out front on the stairs. It's not the limo today, just the car," he turned back in his seat to work on his school work in earnest.

Nino nudged him with his elbow, "Hey dude, what was that all about?" The darker skinned boy motioned towards Marinette and Nathaniel, his voice was hushed so hopefully no one could hear him.

Before Adrien even had a chance to answer, Chloé interrupted them, "Adrikins! Why wasn't **I** invited to your photo shoot?" She had her hands on the desk and was leaning over him a pout on her face.

"Marinette is working on some designs for my father's fall contest Chloé," the blond teen sighed. If he had at least thought through inviting Marinette to his shoot, this wouldn't have happened. Smooth Adrien, smooth.

"Ugh, Marinette? She's so below you Adrikins, why help a peasant like her?" the female blond rolled her eyes.

"Because I saw and liked her designs. I also want her to have a good chance at winning the competition," also to keep her away from Nathaniel, but he wasn't about to say that out loud.

"Fine, whatever Adrikins," she moved to the desk behind him and he mentally groaned. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I don't know what you did to **MY** Adrikins, but you need to back off," the blond female just didn't know when to give up.

"I'm pretty sure Adrien is a person, not an object. So he can't be 'yours' Chloé," Marinette's voice was still quiet, she didn't want to make a scene. Adrien was glad he had a friend like Marinette, she clearly cared about his feelings, not like Chloé even cared about anything other than his looks.

"Sure he can, if he's my boyfriend," at this the whole class went quiet to look at the pair. Even if Marinette didn't want to make a scene, Chloé sure wanted to.

He had to step in now, he stood and turned towards his oldest friend, "What are you talking about Chloé?"

"Oh come on Adrikins, we both know how we feel about each other," the blond threw her arms around him and tried to lean up for a kiss.

He placed both hands firmly on her shoulders and held her back, "You're like a sister to me Chloé. We aren't dating." He chose his words carefully, if he had said, 'I don't like you like that,' they would have had another Akuma attack in the school. As much as he wanted to see Ladybug, he also didn't.

The blond let go with a huff, stomping out of the classroom mumbling things like, you'll figure out your feelings about me soon, and revenge plots against Marinette. Sabrina ran after Chloé, knowing full well her only friend was more than livid.

The class erupted into cheers, it shocked him and he glanced around with wide eyes. Nino's arm was thrown around his shoulders, "Duuuude! I can't believe you finally told Chloé what's up!"

He smiled at his friend, he usually stood up to Chloé but for some reason today was the day they were celebrating. "Why does everyone seem so happy though?" his green gaze shifted across the room.

"Because she always says you two are so in love dude! We all knew it was a lie but we couldn't say anything until now," his friend's voice exuded excitement. Even Alya and Marinette seemed happy about the events that just transpired.

Adrien just laughed with his friend. Eventually the class quieted down to a soft murmur and he could now hear Marinette and Alya talking softly. Alya was telling her that she should try and hang out with him as long as possible. He could almost see the girl shake her head as she mentioned working on her designs. That made him feel a little sad. Did she not want to hang out with him? Was what she told Cat Noir a lie to get him off her case? Yet she blushed when he smiled at her, he looked right at her and smiled. Was she just flustered because of his looks?

Alya told her she should live a little, that it wasn't every day she got to hang out with her crush. Adrien's heart did a little back flip, Marinette wouldn't lie. Why would he ever think that? His head hit the desk with a thud, why was he being so stupid about this. He loved Ladybug! Why and how did Marinette even manage to weasel her way into his thoughts.

He spent the rest of the day unfocused on anything except his thoughts. He made sure to call Nathalie during lunch, told her without hesitation that Marinette would be coming to his photo shoot. Before the woman on the other end could argue he hung up the phone. Sure his dad might be a little mad, but he had to talk to Marinette. He had to figure out what he was going to do. If not he might actually lose his mind, and become one of Hawkmoth's victims. The day could not go any slower as the clock ticked away the seconds of the school day.

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Well I hope you enjoyed this, I won't be able to start the next chapter until after work tomorrow so it might not be up till the day after, depends on how things go at the photo shoot! *wiggles eye brows* I love you all! Leave me reviews! :D


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys sorry about the wait. This entire thing was written entirely on my phone. So I had to get it beta read. Make sure my phone wasn't being a jerk and stuff. Anyways, here you are! Adrien's inner turmoil gets stronger lol

As always I own nothing.

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The silence in the car was deafening, Marinette only barely managed to thank him before getting into the vehicle. Even the Gorilla seemed confused by his behavior. By all means everyone should be confused by his behavior, he was confused by it too. Even walking into the studio, the two teens were quiet. Adrien hated shooting for summer ad campaigns, always wanting more skin and more sultry looks. He was a young teen, with golden mannerisms, sultry and disheveled looks were not something he could pull off. Yet here in the studio it looked like a small personal beach. White sand littered the floor and the blue tropical background seemed out of place in the building.

Leaving Marinette behind to get changed in the dressing room felt like a mistake. The make-up artist was absolutely relentless in asking about the mystery girl, who she was, where they met, if they had even kissed yet. Adrien vehemently shook his head on that last one, saying Marinette was his classmate and that she was an aspiring fashion designer herself.

The white cotton button-up they had him in was loose, the khaki shorts on the lighter side to compliment his skin tone. He desperately wanted to roll the sleeves up but they wouldn't let him unless he agreed to unbuttoning more than two buttons. He sighed before plastering a smile on his face. Vincent was not impressed, uttering a, 'non, NON,' he tried to talk the boy into a more relaxed facial expression and pose.

Shifting his gaze over to where Marinette was he smiled honestly. Her face was a deep shade of pink, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth, she became more fidgety under his gaze, waving to him slightly. Without thinking he ran his hand through his hair pulling the blond locks from his face, tilted his head back smiling and with his other hand raised it in a wave. Vincent did not miss the shot, or the reason why the model immediately became more willing to pose.

"You," Vincent pointed to his assistant, "take her," his finger shot to Marinette, "make magic happen. Now."

Adrien's eyes widened, what had he done? "Oh I possibly... No I mean... Wouldn't you prefer..." Marinette's voice faded in and out as she was dragged further away from the set. Minutes passed and Adrien became worried, they wouldn't actually put an inexperienced person on set with him would they? The sight that greeted his eyes confirmed that yes they would. Marinette's midnight coloured hair was pulled into a side swept ponytail, her lips were glossy and slightly pinker. She had on a pair of frayed Jean shorts that exposed a lot of leg, since they stopped just past the curve of her butt. As for what the assistant chose for her top, it screamed summer date, a pink camisole with lace trimming around the bottom had a loose knit sweater hanging from one shoulder. If loose knit was even a thing. It practically looked like someone attached sleeves to a net and called it a sweater. The sleeves were a little more substantial and they were long so they hung around her palms slightly. "H-hey," she mumbled brushing some hair out of her face.

Adrien just nodded, "It looks good on you." Her face flushed pink and he noticed the light sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her nose. Without thinking he pulled her close and he stared at those smalls blemishes on her skin. His one hand was around her waist the other held her chin up so their for heads could touch.

The sound of the shutter furiously going off indicated that Vincent like his reaction to Marinette. Sighing he turned the girl in his arms holding her flush against his back facing the camera, "Wrap your arms behind my head," he mumbled into her ear. She nodded stiffly and her hands raised and gently touched his hair. His heart beat sped up as the shutter again went off like clockwork, her touch was so soft. Something in his mind didn't seem all there, he turned Marinette towards himself again. He brought her hands up to the first button he had done up, her face flushed furiously, "Just take your time," his voice sounded like it came out much deeper than it usually did. She nodded and after she had undone two buttons she laughed. Although it was nervous laughter her face was still lit up, it cause him to laugh as well. The shutter quieted when they stopped laughing. Adrien motioned for Marinette to sit down, "Now lean back on your hands with one leg extended and the other bent." She responded with a nod and did as asked, Adrien also sat in the sand, but not for long. He laid so his head was resting on the thigh of the outstretched leg. His hands made quick work of the rest of the buttons on his shirt so it slid open. Resting one arm across his abdomen he reached up to touch Marinette's cheek softly.

The shutter greeted his ears once more. Vincent was eating this up and for Adrien he was finally having a good time. Sitting up he pulled Marinette's sweater up over her head, she blinked as he laid it off to the side and instead shed his own shirt. He placed it over Marinette's shoulders and pulled her against his body and proceeded to lean back. Her head rested against his chest as she turned slightly so her hand could rest against his body as well. Once the clicking of the shutter stopped Adrien and Marinette stood once more, this time when he looked at Marinette wearing his slightly larger shirt something stirred in him. She looked positively sexy in the shirt with the short jeans. Some sort of look must have crossed his featured since the shutter again clicked away like mad. "A quick break and a change of clothes," Vincent barked out the orders before disappearing either for a new battery or memory card.

Marinette quickly tried to return his shirt to him, not looking him in the eyes, "Sorry about this Marinette, I'm not sure why Vincent wanted you to do this."

"Fine, I mean, it's fine. It's fun," her blue eyes turned up to his for a moment and he could see her scarlet cheeks. He smiled with a nod at her statement before the two were dragged away to separate areas to be changed and fussed over.

This time the make-up artist was relentless, she wouldn't let up that no matter how many times they asked him to unbutton his shirt or just not wear a shirt he had always said no. That one simple girl with some freckles almost had him ripping his shirt off. The make-up artist was moaning and groaning asking how such an ordinary girl could capture his heart. Adrien didn't try any form of rebuttal, instead he retreated into his mind. How did Marinette make him feel?

Sure she was super sweet and nice to everyone, but that didn't mean he liked her. Clearly he was at least a little bit physically attracted to her, that dream made as much known. Marinette may or may not like him, his heart raced slightly thinking about it. It wasn't fair to Marinette if he only 'liked' her because she liked him. This time when he exited the dressing room he was in a pair of dark gray skinny jeans, with an olive green crew neck shirt and a light tan button-up over top, the sleeves rolled up and the shirt unbuttoned.

This time the set was lit a little dimmer, like it was evening on the beach. Marinette was wearing a deep turquoise skirt that fell to her ankles, it looked loose and flowing around her legs, she wore a simple black shirt, at least it looked simple from behind. She had her back to him, her hair was down and curled slightly, he wondered if he was to pull on one of those curls if it would bounce back into place. As if she could read his mind she turned to look at him, he had no idea about make up, but it made her blue eyes pop. Long lashes framed those sapphire orbs, a slightly smokey looking eyeshadow fanned the outsides of her eyes. Her lips were a deep pink, and slightly sparkling. He must have been staring because her head turned away slightly and he finally looked at the shirt. A scoop neck with simple wave patterns that seemed to fade in and out of light blue to turquoise to dark blue to black were scattered across the front. She had a simple pendant hanging around her neck, clear turquoise glinted against her pale skin, his eyes shifted to her wrist and she had a matching bracelet, a simple metal bangle with some clear turquoise and pearls embedded into its slim form. "H-hey," she mumbled lifting her hand in a simple wave.

"Hey again," he replied softly.

"You're both ready, oui?" Vincent's voice sliced through the air starling the two teens. "I want more romance! Go!" his voice called out from behind his camera.

Marinette squeaked when Adrien took her hand into his, lifting it to his lips. He felt her shift slightly but didn't open his eyes right away. After a moment he lifted his gaze towards Marinette, who boldly laced her fingers through his with a small laugh upon her lips. When he stood he raised the arm holding her hand and spun her to lean against his body. He brought his face down into her shoulder and her free hand lazily stroked his hair. When they untangled from each other she gently pushed him with a soft laugh and jogged away from him through the sand. A sly grin slipped across his features and he chased after her. After a few moments he caught up to her and grabbed her around the waist, swinging her around slightly. When he stopped they leaned into each other and laughed, it bubbled out of him and he wasn't sure he wanted it to ever stop. After a few more poses for the camera Vincent dismissed them, thanking Marinette for her time.

"I think that was the most fun I've ever had during a shoot, thanks Marinette," he rubbed the back of his neck with a soft smile.

"You're fun! I mean, this was fun. Thanks," her stumble wasn't as bad but he still thought it kind of cute. He mentally kicked himself, if Ladybug saw him fooling around with one of his classmates and ever found out he was Cat Noir she would never believe him that he loved her.

"Did you want to come over for dinner? We can play video games to pass the time," that was not what he wanted to say but it came out anyways.

Marinette's face flushed and she managed a nod. Her arms failed slightly as she motioned to where her regular clothes were. He smiled and laughed, nodding at her antics, before he went to change back into his regular clothes. He frowned slightly, was Plagg right? Was it because he knew nothing about Ladybug that he was attracted to Marinette? Running a hand through his golden locks for what felt like the millionth time, he sighed. Pulling on his usual white over shirt and adjusting the sleeves to how he liked them he grabbed his bag and zipped it open slightly, "Plagg," he hissed into the bag.

"What's wrong kid?" the small black kwami yawned. "You're ruining my nap."

"Marinette is coming over so you'll have to stay hidden. I promise I'll make it up to you," he kept his voice down so hopefully no one would hear him. Although if anyone saw him, they'd think he was a certified crazy person, talking into his bag like that.

The smile that crossed Plagg's features made Adrien shiver, "Sure thing kid. But you gotta promise me one thing."

"What Plagg?"

"Try kissing the girl," Plagg's tiny face contorted into a kiss face and Adrien quickly zipped up his bag.

"Not on your life Plagg. My lips belong to Milady," he quickly tossed the bag over his shoulder and headed out to the set area to meet up with Marinette. He saw her standing there fidgeting with the hem of her jacket, "Ready to go?" She just nodded vigorously before following him out the doors and into the car.

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So sorry about that wait again. We also got a new kitten so things might be a little stalled as she warms up to our family. She's super cute. As always leave reviews! I love you guys!


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys sorry about the wait! I have a convention I'm going to in less than 2 weeks and my costume doesn't exist yet so... yeah. ANYWAYS! Here is the chapter and I want to thank all my reviewers! So thank you to everyone for your support and kind words! And:

ailey. elliott .7: Chloe won't be seeing the photos in this chapter but she will in the next! (FanFiction hates your name cause they think its a web address. sorry for the spaces)

Loplover: He might listen to Plagg, he might not, you'll find out soon! I plan for it to be Adrienette smut, but I want to explore all of the love square first. Cause we all know how annoyed Marinette/Ladybug can get with Cat Noir and I like that dynamic. :D

Thank you guys so much, and as always I own nothing but I think I like it that way.

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Plagg's words kept repeating in his mind over and over again. 'Kiss the girl' he said, but he loved his lady and actually kissing Marinette would be betraying Ladybug and his feelings for her. His eyes shifted over to Marinette, she sat with her hands folded in her lap and her gaze turned out the window. How did she manage to make him act so strangely? She was his classmate, and sure he was flattered that she liked him, but he loved Ladybug. Things were getting confusing.

As the Gorilla pulled up to the Agreste manor, Adrien realized that not only would he have to talk to Nathalie about Marinette being there, but no doubt word would get to his father about this. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed, convincing them to let him out of the manor was hard enough, how would he convince them to let someone into the manor, someone of the opposite gender not on business? Once the car was at a full stop he held the door open for Marinette. He watched as she unfolded herself from the vehicle with a grace he never noticed. He began to wonder what else he never noticed about the girl.

Her reaction to his room was as he suspected, shock and awe. "Make yourself at home, I'm just going to wash my face," he jabbed his thumb at the door leading to his washroom. Her headed nodded up and down with a jerk, her face slowly turning from pink to crimson. Laughing at her reaction he shut himself into his washroom. "Plagg, why did you have to say that?" he groaned quietly while turning the water on.

"Because one of the easiest ways to tell how you feel about someone is by kissing them. Plus if she really does like you, which I'm pretty sure she does, she won't care about a kiss or two," Plagg zipped out of his bag and floated through the air on his back.

"If she does like me, wont she be more devastated if I just say, 'Hey, remember that time we kissed? It didn't mean much to me, I love someone else.' I don't want to be the reason Marinette becomes Akumatized," splashing water on his face he grimaced, he honestly didn't want to hurt Marinette's feelings.

"I think you don't have faith in how strong Marinette really is. How many times has Chloé tried to make Marinette miserable? How many times has she succeeded? The numbers are clearly stacked in favor of Marinette being fine," the little kwami floated down to rest on the counter.

Grabbing a towel and drying his face he sighed, "I'm not taking that chance Plagg." Exiting the bathroom his heart stopped, where was Marinette? His head whipped around looking and searching for the girl. His bed was empty, his desk was empty, she wasn't on the couch, not by the skate ramp or basketball hoop. His eyes drifted to the stairs leading up to his 'personal' book collection. He quickly went up the stairs two at a time, at the landing he sighed, there she was, looking at the spines of the many books. He watched as occasionally her finger would brush a title on the spine of a book before moving on, "Do you want to borrow some?" Even to his ears it sounded like a different Adrien had spoken and taken over his body.

She shook her head, "No I was just admiring them all, there's a lot here." She smiled at him, he also enjoyed the fact that she found it easier to talk to him when it was just the two of them.

"Did you want to play something or watch anything?" he motioned to the entertainment system in front of his couch.

"You. I mean, whatever you want to do," her nervous giggle filled the air.

He also laughed slightly, "Alright but if I put on a horror movie, you can't tell me you're too scared to watch it." Her face turned bright pink and she nodded. Making his way down the stairs he listened to see if Marinette was following, he couldn't hear her so he wondered if she was light on her feet. Flopping down on his couch he finally felt like he could relax, the shifting of the weight on the couch told him Marinette had followed and was sitting with him. Leaning forward to grab the remote he was suddenly aware of the fact that he had a girl in his room, he could almost feel the sweat forming on his palms. Swallowing the lump in his throat he turned the system on, flipping through the channels got them nowhere so he decided to see what movies were available to watch. Flipping through the channels he would occasionally glance over at Marinette, she was fidgeting and would look everywhere but at him. He smiled, he didn't want to make her super nervous, but she was being super cute about it. He quickly selected a horror movie like he said, because he wanted to see if she would get scared or if she would laugh. Even though he fought the Akuma and Hawkmoth regularly, sometimes scary movies would get a jump out of him, but nothing would ever be as scary as knowing his lady could be hurt.

As the movie progressed he watched as her eyes would get wide as saucers, then turn into little slits as she winced, she had only jumped once and he was a little sad that she didn't try to get closer to him for comfort. Near the end of the film she jumped and grabbed his hand, this time he felt his face flush. He looked at her, but she wasn't aware of what she had done, her eyes were glued to the screen, wide with fear. Her hand was warm on his, and he didn't dislike the feeling of her soft skin against his. Her fingers were curled around his and without thinking he curled his fingers around the tips of hers, brushing his thumb along her knuckles. Her hand jerked away from his and he looked from where their hands were connected to big round blue eyes. After looking into those large eyes he realized what he had done. He mentally groaned before looking back to the girl, "I was just trying to reassure you everything is okay." She nodded dumbly before shifting her gaze back to the movie. He mentally slapped himself, holding another girl's hand? Really Agreste? Get a hold of yourself, you are in love with Ladybug. Right?

Nathalie was either a saving grace or the bearer of the worst news in the universe, he could never tell with her stoic appearance, but he was glad to hear her knock on his door. He let Marinette know he was just going to be a moment and that if she wanted to watch something else, or play any games she was free to do so. Retreating away from the couch towards his door, a chill ran down his spine. This wasn't going to be about eating arrangements, was it? He opened his door and watched the older woman adjust her glasses, "Your father wants to speak to you."

It felt like he was just dropped off the top of the Eiffel tower. "Alright, thanks Nathalie," he felt nervous leaving Marinette in his room by herself, but not as nervous as seeing his father made him feel. The trip down the stairs to his father's office never felt longer, the knock on his door never seemed this loud, and the wait for his father's voice to call him in never seemed to take this long. Once he was in the office he flinched, it was much cooler, and against his hot skin it felt like lightning. "You wanted to see me father?" he hoped he didn't sound as nervous as he felt.

The chair behind the desk swiveled around to face him and his father's face was a stony mask, it was always hard to read the man. The tablet his father usually carried around with his schedule and designs slid across the desk, drawing Adrien's eyes from his father's face to the object on the table. A familiar shape with midnight colored hair was laying against him, "And what is the meaning of this Adrien?" his father's voice was cold as ice, making him shrink back slightly.

"It was Vincent's idea."

"Yes but why?" his father would not let him ramble even if he wanted to.

Adrien thought about it for a moment, he wasn't sure why Vincent got Marinette to model with him. "It might have to do with one of the first images he took, I think," Adrien shifted his weight slightly from one leg to the other. He wasn't sure he was allowed to sit, since he wasn't sure if he was in trouble or not.

"This one?" a slender finger swiped across the screen and an image of himself stared back at him. Now when he usually modeled, sexy and seductive weren't something he could pull off, but those green eyes looking at him from the screen seemed darker than usual, more adult. He suddenly realized even though he was waving it seemed more like he was beckoning the person he was looking at to come to him.

Adrien looked from the image to his father, "I believe so yes." He could hardly tell that he was the same person as the one in the photo, it felt surreal.

"What is that girl to you?" those ice cold words pierced his mind. He didn't even know, how would he answer his father?

Taking a deep breath, he decided it would be best to just tell him what he did know, "She's one of my classmates. I'm not sure how I feel about her." Not quite what he wanted to say but it would do.

His father was quiet for a moment, "She's here right now?"

Adrien felt his pulse race, Nathalie never told his father Marinette was coming? He was dead, super dead. If he was still allowed to go to school after this he would be happy. His head jerked up and down, "She is, she's in my room."

An unusual sound came out of his father's throat, he wasn't quite sure what it was, but it wasn't normal. "A little fast if you don't know how you feel about her," Adrien's mouth dropped open. "If we release these images a lot of people are going to want her head. You've always turned down modeling with others your age, and the one time you modeled with someone they were a small child in the park. Are you ready to protect her even if she is only a friend? The only other thing we could do is hire her as a model, that way they will only send her hate mail, instead of approaching her physically," Gabriel's voice didn't seem nearly as cold as it did a moment to ago.

Adrien couldn't make that decision for Marinette, "I don't mind if you release the images, but Marinette will have to decide if she wants to model again."

"Marinette? Marinette Dupain-Cheng? The girl currently participating in my contest?" this time a little bit of shock seeped through his father's icy demeanor.

"Yes, did I not mention that?"

"We won't be able to use these without editing them. Next time try not to involve any of my participants in any of your antics," this time it was clearly anger.

Adrien got mad, "I didn't want to involve her, Vincent did. Why is that such a bad thing?"

"If Ms. Dupain-Cheng happens to win the competition, it will look like we were giving her preferential treatment. That is unacceptable."

Suddenly it made sense, if those photos with Marinette were published and she then won his father's competition it would look bad. On all of them. He didn't want to do that to Marinette, "Alright. Sorry father. It won't happen again." With a wave of his father's hand he retreated from the cold office. Sure he was mad at the situation but he could understand why his father got angry. Without thinking he slammed his door a little harder than he meant to. A little squeak came from the couch, and his eyes widened, "Sorry Marinette, I forgot you were here."

Marinette looked over the side of his couch, he was guessing she was lounging on it, "It's fine, is everything alright?" His eyes felt like they would fall out of his head if they got any wider. She knew he went to see his father but instead of calling attention to that fact she wanted him to answer how he felt most comfortable. She was too sweet.

"Yeah, just some issues with some pictures taken earlier," he wasn't going to let her know she was why his father was being such a pain. He walked over to the couch to see what the girl was doing, when he got to the other side where he could see her she shrank into the furniture as best she could. She was laying down using one of the armrests as a pillow and her knees were slightly bent with her feet resting on the other armrest. The book she had in her hands was pressed to her face, clearly she was embarrassed by making herself at home. "That looks comfortable, mind if I join you?" he knew what he said sounded highly suggestive. Wide scared eyes looked at him from the top of the book, he could only laugh. He lifted her legs which earned him another adorable squeak, and sat on the couch letting her legs rest across his lap. He let his head roll back against the edge of the couch, letting out a huge sigh.

"Are you sure you're okay?" her soft voice caused him to look at her. Her blue eyes seemed so warm and full of concern, not like his lady's, they were focused on everything but him.

"I'm," he paused for a moment, if he told her what happened that would mean letting Adrien open up, but Cat Noir was his way of letting go, "fine."

She nodded, before closing the book she had open in her chest, "So what are we doing for dinner?"

He was thankful she was such a mindful girl, "Well, I'm not sure, whatever my personal chefs make I guess."

"You have personal chefs? That's cool."

"I guess, but the food they make isn't nearly as good as your parents," he smiled up at the ceiling.

"I don't think the food they make is better," her voice trailed off and he looked at her. She was looking out the window but not at anything, her eyes were slightly glazed, "It's the environment you're eating the food in. Since my house is small and my parents are very warm and welcoming their food is warm and welcoming, and eating in a small space makes it more intimate."

He nodded, "You might be right, but it still tastes like their food is better to me," he smiled at Marinette.

She smiled back at him, he was relieved that she wasn't upset, he wasn't sure what she would be upset about but he was happy that she was happy. A knock on his door and Nathalie's voice came through the door telling them dinner would be served in just a moment. They looked at each other and laughed, getting up in a tangle of arms and legs. They clearly weren't used to sharing their personal space with anyone so it was a heartwarming experience for him.

Dinner was eaten in absolute silence, sure Marinette and Adrien were sitting beside each other, but the dining hall was so empty the teens felt like their voices would echo if they spoke at all. The food was as bad and boring as he remembered it, but it didn't seem to taste as bad with someone else sitting at the table. It was some kind of chicken and pasta dish, with so many noodles there was no way he was going to remember them all. Hell, there are even different types of ravioli depending on the size and shape. Italian food names might be something he would never remember. Once they were finished eating Marinette was ushered off by Nathalie and he was to go to his room and do his homework, he wasn't grounded but if he didn't prove himself at school his dad would roast him over an open flame for sure.

Once his door was shut he immediately looked for the kwami, he wasn't in his bed, or on the couch, but the book Marinette had been reading was sitting on the armrest. Gingerly he lifted it and looked at the title, 'Le Langage des Fleurs', "The Language of Flowers?"

"Yeah certain humans gave meaning to all the things growing around them. But not all meanings are the same. For instance yellow roses can either mean friendship or jealousy," Plagg floated by with a piece of nasty Camembert cheese in his tiny paws.

"I wonder why she was reading this," he placed the book on his table. Turning to Plagg he felt a surge of confidence about talking to Marinette, "I want to see Marinette. So Plagg you know the drill," the tiny being sighed and before he could speak Adrien was talking over him, "Claws Out!"

Again he was out the window soaring through the cool night air. The familiar shape of the bakery approached, he landed on the roof and knocked on the trap door to Marinette's room. She opened the door with a glare, "Yes kitty?"

"Why nothing Puuuurincess, can't your favorite cat swing by?" he crouched down with a smile in his lips.

She rolled her eyes and retreated into her room, he took her silence as acceptance of his presence. He sat by the window and watched as she pinned pieces of fabric together, it was like she was making magic with just some cloth and her hands. "What's eating you today kitty? I had a very busy day, so if you don't mind I have to pin these before I sleep, at least," she didn't even stop to look at him.

He rested his elbow against his leg to lean his head on his hand. "Not a lot is eating me. I'm in a pretty good mood myself," he smiled his best for her, but she didn't even look at him.

"Then why are you here?" her chair wheels glided across the length of the floor in front of her desk. Opening a drawer she procured more pins for her designs.

"I just wanted to see my Purrrincess," the purr rolled of his tongue without him even having to try.

She got up from her chair and stood at the edge of the steps to the roof, "Kitty I don't have time for your jokes. I want to get some work done before I have to sleep."

"Then I will take what I came to take," a sly grin passed over his face. The girl took a step back when she looked at him. Slowly descending the stairs she took a step back for every step he took forward, they kept that same distance until her back hit the wall and he closed the distance between them. He could feel her body warmth in the small space between them, a clawed hand tilted her chin up, wide blue eyes stared into his green ones. As his head tilted down towards hers, their breath began to mingle for a moment, just before his lips were pressed against hers. They were both soft and firm, the sensation was fantastic, until her hand connected with his cheek. He jumped back rubbing his face, "I have what I want. Thank you Princess, until next time." He was up the stairs and off the roof before the female could properly react. His pulse was still racing and he could still feel her lips pressed against his. A goofy smile crossed his features as he headed back to his home and his bed. Marinette might be mad, but he was starting to figure out how he felt, she wouldn't stay mad forever, right?

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Well I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Like I said I am going to a convention so I'll be focusing on my costume for a bit, I have a tiny bit of my prop done at this point. But I will try to also write some of the fic in the meantime. If not I will more than likely work at it at the convention, cause time between panels can be long. so yeah! Thanks guys and I love all of you!


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